Introduction

The unauthorized practice of immigration law (UPIL) endangers the integrity of our immigration system and victimizes members of the immigrant community. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to launch an initiative to combat this exploitative practice by:

Promoting public understanding of the best ways to find bona fide legal advice and avoid scams

Building capacity for legitimate assistance and services

Supporting enforcement action against those who engage in the unauthorized practice of immigration law

Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law

The unauthorized practice of immigration law occurs when those who are not attorneys or accredited representatives:

Provide legal assistance to applicants or petitioners in immigration matters

Charge more than a nominal fee

Hold themselves out to be qualified in legal matters

Locally Focused Engagement Plan

Since January 2010, USCIS has been working with internal and external stakeholders to understand the community’s concerns about UPIL. After hosting an initial dialogue with the public earlier this year, the agency convened an internal working group to analyze best practices and design a comprehensive public-engagement strategy.

USCIS will begin the initiative with a focus on seven pilot cities: Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, Fresno, Los Angeles, New York and San Antonio. These cities were selected based on the following criteria: